Gladiator

Release:  May 5, 2000; Director: Ridley Scott; Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, Connie Nielsen, and many more.

Conspiracy. Rome is full of it. When the Roman Emperor(Harris) gives his coveted title to his all deserving Roman general(Crowe) and not the his own son(Phoenix) conspiracy ignites. The general is betrayed, his family is killed, his competitor(Phoenix) takes the empire away from him, and he is sold into slavery. However, opportunity arises when he becomes a gladiator. His next conquest: survive and kill the emperor.
 

8.3

"Are you not entertained?". A gladiator's job was to entertain and that is exactly what the movie did. Maximus'(Crowe) success, although enslaved, is inspiring. His lines: classic. The Coliseum: magnificent! Joaquin Phoenix does an excellent job as well. He plays his character perfectly: greedy, cunning, selfish, and "merciful"? Director Ridley Scott is known to make successful Hollywood movies and this is another, perhaps his most successful. The ending is a bit cheesy but no movie is perfect(unless directed by Christopher Nolan).

Link for trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol67qo3WhJk

The Babymakers

Release: August 3, 2012; Director: Jay Chandrasekhar; Starring: Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn, Kevin Heffernan, Wood Harris, Nat Faxon, Jay Chandrasekhar

A baby-hungry couple, Tommy and Audrey Macklin(Schneider and Munn), are having trouble getting pregnant. Every possible solution seems to fail for them. Only two options remain: adopting,  (which cost at least "$10,000") or robbing a sperm bank Tommy donated to years ago. Tommy and his gang decide the latter. With the help of ex-Indian mafia man by the name of Ron Jon (Chandrasekhar) the team sets out to make Tommy Macklin a father.

5.7

 
Although most critics gave this movie a very low rating I actually enjoyed myself! I found myself laughing out loud in multiple scenes! Schneider and Munn's (sounds like a law firm) chemistry is great! As well, Schneider's misfit gang is hilarious. We also have a surprise appearance from the director, Jay Chandrasekhar. The movie is highly sexual but that is the way it was supposed to be made. There was one particular scene with Kevin Heffernan that I almost gagged at because of it's grossness, but very funny at the same time. It's a select movie that only certain people will like and it is a pretty cliche rom-com(just more gross), however, the hilarity was enough for my taste.

Link for trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQxJIfBDMmw

There Will Be Blood

Release:  December 26, 2007; Director: Paul Thomas Anderson; Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciaran Hinds, and more.

A pioneer in the oil industry, Daniel Plainview, encounters success wherever he drills it seems like. However, what he does not know, is this: tragedy patiently awaits him and his family, death is certain to strike, murders will occur, religious revivals will come forth, and reality will start to lose its grip.

8.0

What else can I say? Daniel Day Lewis. The man's presence seems certain to earn an Oscar. And in this movie he did! This is as good as acting gets. Lewis' presence is craved every time he is not on screen and when he is the craving builds. Paul Dano gives a great performance as well. He does exactly what he was supposed to do. Make us resent him. In doing so does that make us be on Daniel's(Lewis') side? And if we are what does that say about us? Especially after what he does to "poor Eli"(Dano) at the end of the film. There is nothing wrong with wanting to have more. At least to a limit. Question is, when is that limit? Daniel wanted more and more and more. This destroyed him. Neglect, greed, and hate tear him apart. Two reasons of why Lewis won Oscar for this: "I've abandoned my child!" and, "... I drink your milkshake!".

Link for the Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3THVbr4hlY
Daniel Day Lewis' reasons for winning Best Actor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_hFTR6qyEo
                                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9k6Mf-FfXQ

Traffic

Release: January 5, 2001; Director: Steven Soderbergh; Starring: Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Vargas, Luis Guzman, Don Cheadle, Topher Grace, Erika Christensen, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid, and many more.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181865/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

The drug war between the U.S. and Mexico is relentless. It infiltrates the life of every character. Through family, friends, work, government, etc. Through this journey we encounter multiple view points. View points of U.S. and Mexicans alike involved with this war, personal battles, and how they all intertwine.

7.6

I enjoyed Traffic. Steven Soderbergh is really good at doing movies with many characters. He doesn't go super in depth with the lives of the characters but just enough so that we care about the character or we don't care about them. He does this in the Ocean movies as well. Traffic is very comparable to the movie Crash. Multiple points of view about a certain topic. And all of the points of view interlink. This movie is about the drug war between the U.S. and Mexico. Every life in this movie is impacted by drugs. Whether it's them or a loved one or someone they work with. It's a real life battle. Erika Christensen does a very good job in her role as Caroline Wakefield(the judge's daugher). Her life and perspective gives us kind of a Requiem for a Dream feel as far as her drug addiction goes. I lived in Mexico for a time and the film is very authentic to how things are in Mexico. I loved that! It's a good movie that I recommend. Good acting, good story line, keeps you entertained and guessing. It paints a vivid picture of how things are in the drug world. It's inhumane and cold. We, as an audience, don't need to participate in them to have a taste of how bitter-sweet they are. Soderbergh succeeds in his best to date film.

Link for trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjpadtJs9QA

Getaway

Release Date: August 30, 2013; Directed by: Courtney Solomon; Starring: Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez, Jon Voight, Rebecca Budig, and more. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2167202/

Time is running out for Brent Magna. The former race car driver's wife has been kidnapped. A cynical and foreign voice telling him his every move. The only things he is given are a suped-up Ford Mustang and an annoying teenager for a side-kick. And his most important direction from the voice, that is, pedal to the metal.

4.3

Getaway is probably the director's, Courtney Solomon, most popular and successful movie as of late. However, that's not saying a lot because every movie he's made so far hasn't been too successful. Getaway has it's fun car scenes, yes, but that is it, with the exception of a surprise appearance at the end that I will discuss later. I feel like they either mis-cast Selena Gomez in this role or there wasn't enough depth to her character. This movie didn't provide a lot of depth for the characters, however, Gomez' character did possess many skills that mere mortals would kill for. She seemed to be a banker, accountant, hacker, and car buff. All of the skills that Ethan Hawke's character needed in one petite, vulgar, and annoying package. Don't get me wrong! I loved Gomez in Wizard's of Waverly Place! But this role seemed to be too much for her but probably a dire need. Hawke was good. He always is. Always provides a great effort and a believable character. I feel like he did the best with a bad situation. Spoiler Alert! The best part of the movie was the ending, the surprise of Jon Voight as the, almost all-knowing, voice. I give Getaway a 4.3. Nothing special. Just another cliche' Hollywood action movie. You're going to want to "Getaway" from this one soon after the middle of the movie.

Link for the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM7BB16PkAw

Lee Daniels' The Butler

Release Date: August 16, 2013; Director: Lee Daniels(as if that's not clear enough) Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Banner, Mariah Carey, Alex Pettyfer, David Oyelowo, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Robin Williams, John Cusack, Liev Schreiber, James Marsden Minka Kelly, Alan Rickman, Jane Fonda, and many more.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327773/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

7.7

Cecil Gaines, a humble butler part of the black help in the white house, serves 8 different presidential administrations through the years. Through all of these different administrations there is one present and constant fear everyone one in the nation shares. Civil Rights. We, as an audience, see history changed through this heroic butler and others.
 This film, in my opinion, was very well done and deserved a higher rating than what critics deemed it. I would give it a solid 7.7 out of 10 . It's very similar to the type of storytelling that we encounter in the movie Forrest Gump. Lee Daniels takes us through a journey through history, through the eyes of African Americans. It is mentioned, at the end of the movie, that we learn about the Holocaust. When we think of it we usually think of what happened to many Jews during WWII. However, what many of us are blind to is that there was another Holocaust here in our own country. A very long one at that. And the end may have been the ugliest. I love how well the film depicted how the African American race was treated at the beginning of Gaines' life and how they rose up out of oppression and now they have the same opportunities as us. One is even president. I also loved how well we, the audience, was taken through each presidential administration. It was so fun to see who each president would be played by! The casting is fantastic in this film. Lee Daniels really hasn't directed too many movies, one of them was Precious, he has succeeded in his latest endeavor. Go and see Lee Daniels' The Butler. It is a movie that pushes you to feel and to think. It provides just a small taste of what so many have gone through in the battle for free rights. It's a film that any true American should see and learn from. Again, Lee Daniels has succeeded in his latest endeavor.

Link for the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuojHqfe4Vk

Good Day!

This is the first day of this blog's existence. It's purpose is to give my views and opinions of certain movies out there. I hope you enjoy!

-S.A.